Direct Electrophysiological Correlates of Body Ownership in Human Cerebral Cortex

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Electrophysiology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Previous neuroimaging studies explored body ownership using hemodynamic markers.
• Direct electrophysiological correlates of body ownership at the cortical level were previously unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the direct electrophysiological correlates of the feeling of body ownership.
• To characterize the neural mechanisms underlying the rubber hand illusion using intracranial recordings.

Main Methods:

• Studied the rubber hand illusion in 5 patients with intracranial electrodes.
• Measured cortical surface potentials, focusing on high-gamma (70-200 Hz) activity.
• Analyzed neuronal firing rate changes in relation to the illusion.

Main Results:

• Increased high-gamma activity in premotor and intraparietal cortices reflected the feeling of ownership.
• High-gamma increases were coupled with the onset and sustainment of the illusion during tactile stimulation.
• Intraparietal cortex showed higher modulation by tactile stimulation via effective connectivity with somatosensory cortex.

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first intracranial electrophysiological characterization of the rubber hand illusion.
• Findings reveal distinct functional roles for premotor and intraparietal cortices in body ownership.
• The results advance the understanding of dynamic mechanisms underlying the sense of body ownership.